"Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to give his life as a ransom for many."

When I was in Anacortes, I remembered a woman who was a convert to the Catholic Faith.  When asked why or how she converted to the faith and became a disciple of Christ, she shared a powerful experience.  She shared that she went on a pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  It was one of the turning points for her.  It brought her to conversion to the faith. She also shared that at the Cathedral, they have a large unforgettable incense thurible.

Today, we honor St. James, and the Santiago de Compostela was named after him. St. James is the patron of pilgrims. He traveled to Spain to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He was martyred at 44 AD.  It is also believed that Mary's first apparition, Our Lady of the Pillar, happened in Saragossa, Spain in 40AD, with the message of encouraging St. James in his evangelizing effort. 

After the apparition, St. James returned to Jerusalem, and where he earned the crown of martyrdom through beheading.  His followers brought his remains back to Spain.  The story is told that the ship that transported his remains back to Spain disappeared. And his remains were found because of a mysterious light. At first, the place was called Campus Stellae, which means “Field of the Star.” But over time, it became Compostela.

Ever since the shrine was built in Santiago de Compostela, it has impacted the lives of many people. Although we may or may not have attended the Santiago de Compostela, nevertheless, we are on a pilgrimage to heaven. So we ask St. James, the patron of pilgrims, to pray for us, that through his intercessions, we may draw closer to God on every step of our faith journey.  

St. James is the patronage of pilgrims.  

Our Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Seattle is also named after St. James.